Oil-Tank Weld Detection Using EMAT

Abstract

Tanks are typically used for the storage of oil by the petrochemical industry, and the storagequality is largely determined by the safety of the equipment. Recently, ElectromagneticAcoustic Transducer (EMAT) technology has been the focus of many non-destructive examinations,as EMATs can generate elastic waves without contact, thereby making it easy tocarry out the process of detection. The Shear Horizontal (SH)-guided waves that are generatedby an EMAT are modeled in a plate made of ferromagnetic material, and this is of particularinterest regarding the testing of welded structures. This paper provides an EMAT-sensor designthat can be used to ¯nd cracks in the welds of a tank whereby the need for people to climb ontothe tank is removed; furthermore, regarding cases where the amplitude signal of the SH-waveEMATs is too low, a simulation is used in this paper to propose a method that improves thetransduction e±ciency.